Amnesty: Israel is trying to annihilate Gazans

Published 5 December 2024 at 11.17

Foreign. A new Amnesty International report released today states that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza with the aim of annihilating them.

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The report describes widespread violence and abuses that have taken place since Israel's military offensive began following Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.

– Amnesty's report shows that Israel has committed acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention, with the specific intent to annihilate Palestinians in Gaza, said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International's Secretary-General, in a statement.

The report documents the killing of over 42,000 Palestinians, including 13,300 children, as well as widespread destruction of housing and infrastructure that has rendered parts of Gaza uninhabitable. Amnesty points out that Israel has introduced conditions that create malnutrition, disease and starvation, which constitutes a slow and calculated annihilation of the population.

Amnesty calls for immediate international action and warns states that continue to supply weapons to Israel that they risk becoming complicit in genocide. The organization also calls on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to include genocide in its ongoing investigations and urges the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on the actors responsible.

– This is a genocide and it must stop now, says Agnès Callamard.

The report also criticizes Israel's argument that military objectives justify its actions, and points out that genocidal intent can exist alongside military objectives. At the same time, Amnesty calls on Hamas and other armed groups to release all civilian hostages and be held accountable for their crimes.

The report is based on extensive investigations, interviews with over 200 people and analysis of visual and digital evidence. Amnesty hopes that the report will be a wake-up call for the world community.

– For over a year, the international community has shamefully and catastrophically failed to pressure Israel to stop its atrocities in Gaza. This is by first delaying the demands for a ceasefire and then continuing the weapons transfers. This is and will remain a stain of shame on our collective conscience, says Agnès Callamard.

– Governments must stop pretending they are powerless to end this genocide, which has been made possible because of decades of impunity for Israel's violations of international law. States must move beyond mere expressions of regret or dismay and instead take strong and sustained international action, however uncomfortable a finding of genocide may be for some of Israel's allies.